Norwegian Breakaway Review
Great ship for ANYONE! Go with an open mind and free drink package!
Rating by category
Additional details
My husband and I were looking to go away but with flight prices, we weren't sure where to go. I came across an ad for a cruise and noticed the sale of a free beverage package. I looked into the cruise - out of New York (we are from Long Island) and we were sold.
We booked the Norwegian Breakaway. The ship was built in 2013 - has 18 decks and holds 4000 passengers and about 2000 employees. It is TREMENDOUS. The ship is gorgeous. It is beautifully decorated and Makes you want to explore and have fun.
There are a variety of activities to enjoy while aboard. You can use the ropes course, risk your life walking the plank, climb a rock wall, use the jogging track, float in the pool or hot tubs, slide down the water slides - free fall or tubed, play miniature golf, or make use of the fitness center. There are also ping pong tables, shuffle boards and giant chess matches located througout the ship just begging you to play. All of which are free. They are open a great deal of the time and the lines are pretty quick - if there are any at all. Other activities that may require a little extra are bowling and arcade games.
Cabin Review
Mini-Suite with Balcony
I chose a guaranteed cabin and was upgraded to this cabin. Just beware that it is above Fat Cats and you can hear the music until 12:30-1 in the morning. If you are active, it isn't a big deal but nights you want to rest early, it's a little annoying. For two people this cabin is more than adequate in size. We had plenty of room. The showers are big and for the person who complained the showerhead was too close to the wall - move it up. You can adjust it and then it works fine! The balcony size was fine to sit on the chair, I'm not sure what else people are looking to do out there but the size did not bother us.
Port Reviews
New York (Manhattan)
NYC is great. Embarkation was easy once you handed in your luggage. After that, take the stairs instead of the elevator. You will shave time off of the process.
Port Canaveral (Orlando)
I cannot understand why this ship goes to Cape Canaveral. It is by far the most dismal port I have ever been to. The port itself has a very industrial look - not particularly inviting after 1.5 days at sea. Our friend met us at the port and we are so thankful for this. Lines for a taxi/shuttle were incredible. You are definitely waiting here for quite some time and it should be noted we left the boat a good hour after it was cleared for disembarkation. The area around the port is very rundown and depressing. We went to the Kennedy Space Center. It was a highlighted event for this port. It really was nothing spectacular. Some tours stay there for 8 hours and I think I would have cried if we were there for that long. For the $50 we paid (because our friend drove us so we only had to pay admission) it was an OK value for your money but I really wasn't that entertained by it. The bus tour makes such a big deal over a bald eagle's nest in a tree compared to anything the space center has to offer that it became comical to me. It appeared that the eagle's nest was the highlight of the Space Center. Personally, you are better off staying on the ship and I do hope that Norwegian and other cruise lines rethink this port.
Great Stirrup Cay
The tender boats are painstakingly slow. They will not leave until they are full so sometimes you are waiting for 30 minutes. In April, in the hot sun, we were aggravated - I cannot imagine in July/August. I would recommend sitting on the bottom (although this gets steamy) because they let the bottom out first going and coming from the island. The island itself is GORGEOUS. If you walk to the left, you will find beach chairs. We moved ours in front of a palm tree to be able to escape into the shade if needed. The beach BBQ is perfect and there are bars scattered about. While you will find lounge chairs to the left of the beach, snorkeling is to the right. You can walk or take the tram. Staff as always is friendly and knowledgable - if you have a question ask them and they will help.
Nassau
We went to Atlantis. The port is gorgeous - everything you expect. Gorgeous blue waters. straw huts selling things right outside. We went to Atlantis. Atlantis is pricy. We took a taxi (did not do the tour) for $4 pp and arrived within 15 minutes. To do everything it is $150pp. Then you have to rent a locker. They only accept credit cards but also make sure you have a pitcure ID with you as they require both. The water slides are great but you have to fight for rafts. We went April during spring break and by 10 am they were out of rafts. You literally have to beg them off people coming out of the lazy river. Aquarium is great. Food is HORRIBLE. We ate while using the water park so we ate outside. Inside restaurants might be tastier but honestly we spent $35 on lunch and the only thing we finished were our drinks. I had two bites of a caesar salad wrap and could barely swallow them it was so gross.